Upregulation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression and release of cytokines from P815 mast cells by GM-CSF

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Backgroud</p> <p>Recently, mast cells have been recognized to express several Toll-like receptors (TLRs) on their membrane surfaces, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was reported to be able to alter expression of TLRs and cytokine production in neutrophils. However, whether GM-CSF modulates the expression of TLR and cytokine production in mast cells is not clear.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using flow cytometry and real time PCR techniques, we found that GM-CSF upregulated expression of TLR3 and TLR7 in P815 cells in a concentration dependent manner. GM-CSF also provoked approximately up to 2.4 and 2.3 fold increase in IL-13 and IL-6 release from P815 cells, respectively following 16 h incubation. GM-CSF induced IL-13 secretion, TLR3 and TLR7 expression appeared to be through activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphotidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathways, whereas GM-CSF elicited IL-6 release seemed via Akt signaling pathway. At 10 ng/ml, GM-CSF significantly enhanced R-848-induced IL-6 release from P815 cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The ability of GM-CSF in modulation of expression of TLR3 and TLR7 in P815 mast cells and in stimulation of IL-13 and IL-6 release from P815 mast cells in vitro suggests that GM-CSF might play an important role in enhancing the innate immune responses of mast cell to viral infection</p

A Search for Spectral Galaxy Pairs of Overlapping Galaxies based on Fuzzy Recognition

The Spectral Galaxy Pairs (SGPs) are defined as the composite galaxy spectra which contain two independent redshift systems. These spectra are useful for studying dust properties of the foreground galaxies. In this paper, a total of 165 spectra of SGPs are mined out from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 9 (DR9) using the concept of membership degree from the fuzzy set theory particularly defined to be suitable for fuzzily identifying emission lines. The spectra and images of this sample are classified according to the membership degree and their image features, respectively. Many of these 2nd redshift systems are too small or too dim to select from the SDSS images alone, making the sample a potentially unique source of information on dust effects in low-luminosity or low-surface-brightness galaxies that are underrepresented in morphological pair samples. The dust extinction of the objects with high membership degree is also estimated by Balmer decrement. Additionally, analyses for a series of spectroscopic observations of one SGP from 165 systems indicate that a newly star-forming region of our Milky Way might occur.Comment: 16pages, 6figure

The Relation Between the Military and Religion in the Political Regimes of Iran and Turkey

In the Middle East region, Iran and Turkey are influential powers, and both countries have relatively stable regimes in the Middle East countries. The two countries have chosen different paths after their political transformation. After reviewing the political practice of the two countries, due to different political environments, the two armies and religions have played prominent but different roles. After the Islamic revolution in Iran, the army was the protector of the regime, while religion played a leading role. After Kemal Ataturk established power, Turkey took a completely secularized road. The Turkish army was the defender of the secularized path independent of the government in the Turkish regime, while Islamic religion tried to exert influence as a political party. In addition, the article discusses whether it is based on complete secularization or is derived from Islamic religious tradition, which is a feasible way to modernize Islamic countries. At present, since Islam still has considerable influence, only by adapting Islam to the needs of modern society and making modernization the internal needs of Islam can Islamic countries be successfully modernized

Vztah mezi armádou a náboženstvím v politických režimech Iránu a Turecka

In the Middle East region, Iran and Turkey are influential powers, and both countries have relatively stable regimes in the Middle East countries. The two countries have chosen different paths after their political transformation. After reviewing the political practice of the two countries, due to different political environments, the two armies and religions have played prominent but different roles. After the Islamic revolution in Iran, the army was the protector of the regime, while religion played a leading role. After Kemal Ataturk established power, Turkey took a completely secularized road. The Turkish army was the defender of the secularized path independent of the government in the Turkish regime, while Islamic religion tried to exert influence as a political party. In addition, the article discusses whether it is based on complete secularization or is derived from Islamic religious tradition, which is a feasible way to modernize Islamic countries. At present, since Islam still has considerable influence, only by adapting Islam to the needs of modern society and making modernization the internal needs of Islam can Islamic countries be successfully modernized.Department of Political ScienceKatedra politologieFakulta sociálních vědFaculty of Social Science

Simulation of a coarse solid sphere settling in a riser with transverse vibrations

During the transportation of the deep-sea ores in lifting risers, the vibration of the lifting risers due to oceanic currents and waves could exert an effect on the movement of coarse solid ores inside, such as transversal drag, collisions between the ore particle and inner wall of the riser. This study focuses on the settling behavior of a coarse sphere with a large Reynolds number in a transversal vibration riser so as to explore the effect of riser vibration on ore movement. In the present investigation, the moving computational domain, overset mesh, and hard-sphere collision model are applied. Then, the settling characteristics of the solid sphere with different riser vibration frequencies and amplitudes are mainly analyzed and discussed. The results demonstrate that with the increase in the vibrational frequency and amplitude of the riser, the relative velocity between the single solid sphere and riser in the vibration direction and the fluctuation of the sphere's settling velocity show an increasing trend, while the average settling velocity of the sphere decreases. The lateral velocity of the sphere, which is perpendicular to the vibration direction of the riser, is influenced slightly by the vibration frequency when the riser vibrates with a low frequency. In addition, the sphere trajectory is more chaotic at low vibrational frequencies compared to lower amplitudes and higher vibrational frequencies of the riser. The lateral displacement of the sphere is found to be suppressed when the vibrational frequency or amplitude of the riser is high enough

Oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate regulates anti-tumor immunity

''Oncometabolite'' 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) is an aberrant metabolite found in tumor cells, exerting a pivotal influence on tumor progression. Recent studies have unveiled its impact on the proliferation, activation, and differentiation of anti-tumor T cells. Moreover, 2-HG regulates the function of innate immune components, including macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and the complement system. Elevated levels of 2-HG hinder α-KG-dependent dioxygenases (α-KGDDs), contributing to tumorigenesis by disrupting epigenetic regulation, genome integrity, hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) signaling, and cellular metabolism. The chiral molecular structure of 2-HG produces two enantiomers: D-2-HG and L-2-HG, each with distinct origins and biological functions. Efforts to inhibit D-2-HG and leverage the potential of L-2-HG have demonstrated efficacy in cancer immunotherapy. This review delves into the metabolism, biological functions, and impacts on the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) of 2-HG, providing a comprehensive exploration of the intricate relationship between 2-HG and antitumor immunity. Additionally, we examine the potential clinical applications of targeted therapy for 2-HG, highlighting recent breakthroughs as well as the existing challenges

Motion of a solid particle in an ore-lifting riser with transverse vibrations

Deep-sea mining lifting risers experience vibrations induced by the action of ocean waves and currents, and these vibrations have an impact on the lifting efficiency of ores transported inside the risers. Here, to investigate the effect of riser vibration on ore transport, the motion of a single solid particle in a riser oscillating in the lateral direction is simulated taking account of collisions between the particle and the riser using the governing equation for motion of a spherical particle in Poiseuille flow and the Hertz-Mindlin soft sphere collision model. Validations are conducted based on comparisons between numerical and experimental results. Then, the motion of the particle in the vibrating riser is explored, considering the effects of the initial position of release of the particle, the frequency and amplitude of the riser vibrations, and collisions between the particle and the riser. It is found that the initial position of release affects only the initial motion of the particle, but not its overall motion. With increasing vibrational frequency and amplitude of the riser, the relative lateral velocity of the particle shows an increasing trend, while its vertical velocity and lifting distance are clearly decreased. The frequency with which the vertical particle velocity varies is twice as the vibrational frequency of the riser. Moreover, collisions have significant effects on the particle motion, especially on the velocities of the particle, the phase difference between the displacements of the particle and the vibrating riser, and the particle trajectory. Finally, the behavioral regime map of the particle under different vibrational frequencies and amplitudes of the riser is established preliminarily

The population in China’s earthquake-prone areas has increased by over 32 million along with rapid urbanization

Accurate assessments of the population exposed to seismic hazard are crucial in seismic risk mapping. Recent rapid urbanization in China has resulted in substantial changes in the size and structure of the population exposed to seismic hazard. Using the latest population census data and seismic maps, this work investigated spatiotemporal changes in the exposure of the population in the most seismically hazardous areas (MSHAs) in China from 1990 to 2010. In the context of rapid urbanization and massive rural-to-urban migration, nearly one-tenth of the Chinese population in 2010 lived in MSHAs. From 1990 to 2010, the MSHA population increased by 32.53 million at a significantly higher rate of change (33.6%) than the national average rate (17.7%). The elderly population in MSHAs increased by 81.4%, which is much higher than the group’s national growth rate of 58.9%. Greater attention should be paid to the demographic changes in earthquake-prone areas in China